Crying's Not Just for Sadness
by KidatHeart5
Summary: Did you know that Sadness isn't the only emotion who's cried? When Joy reveals that she cried during her adventure, the other three emotions don't believe it would happen to them. However, as Fear, Anger, and Disgust each let out their tears, they begin to appreciate Sadness's role in Headquarters. Cover art belongs to hentaib2319. Thank you for such great artwork!
1. It Could Happen

The front door opened and Riley entered the house, wearier than before. As she slumped to the couch, the voices in her head commented:

"Wow, that was a hard test." (Joy)

"I'm worried. Did we pass it?" (Fear)

"You numbskull! We just did it today!" (Anger)

"Yeah, it's not like we can see the scores yet." (Disgust)

"Oh, I hope we did a good job." (Sadness)

Inside Headquarters, the view of the outside world was obscured by Riley's closing eyelids. Joy turned to the gang and said, "Okay, she was up late last night studying, so I think she deserves this nap. So, who wants to hear all about my adventure outside of Headquarters?" Sadness gasped, "Oh, that's right! We were so busy adjusting to our new life that we forgot to tell them about what we did while we were gone." Fear squeaked, "Does it have Jangles in it?" Disgust groaned, "You're forgetting that he's already locked up in the Subconscious again."

Anger said, "Yeah. It's not like he can charge up to Headquarters. We're right on top of the Memory Dump." Joy, Anger, Sadness, and Disgust sat on the couch while Fear leaned over the top of it. The emotions listened intently as Joy and Sadness relayed their tale. It was mostly Joy, though; Sadness explained she wasn't as good a storyteller as Joy was and she only put in a few words here and there.

Fear, Anger, and Disgust were surprised to learn that Bing Bong, Riley's imaginary friend, did exist after all these years. They asked questions during some parts of the story, but they remained silent when Joy talked about her epiphany. "There I was, struggling to get out of the Memory Dump," Joy said. "When I couldn't climb the faded memory orbs to the top, I was ready to give up. But that's when I looked at the memory of the day the Prairie Dogs lost the championship. I remembered what Sadness said and I realized that when Riley was feeling low, her parents and teammates came to cheer her up. I knew then that Sadness could help Riley when she was in trouble."

Sadness asked, "But the memory orb was yellow. It wasn't blue because I didn't even touch it." Joy said, "But that's just it: it turned blue when I rewound it to the moment Riley was sitting on a tree branch." The other emotions were surprised to hear this and Fear said softly, "Wow. I didn't even know memory orbs could change colors at certain moments." Disgust refused to believe this and said, "But you're Joy. How could you turn a memory blue?"

Joy pointed out, "Well, that's just it. I had a little help from a tear." The four other emotions were astonished by what she had just said. Sadness asked in amazement, "But doesn't that mean you…" All four emotions finished, "…cried?" Joy nodded her head and admitted, "Yes. Yes, I did."

The four emotions stared at her with wide eyes and remained silent until Disgust said, "You? The great Joy, crying?" She waved her hands near her head and said, "I don't believe what I'm hearing." Joy shrugged her shoulders and pointed out, "But, hey, at least Sadness is not the only one." Fear said, "But I didn't think that you would, Joy. After all, you're happy all the time."

Joy said, "Guys, without being sad, I never would have figured out how to help Riley. Sometimes, we all need a break to get back on track." Disgust asked, "So, wait. Are you saying that we could all cry at some time?" Joy answered, "It could happen. Look at me. Without Sadness, I would've been as lost as Riley almost was."

Disgust, Anger, and Fear all looked at her in bewilderment until Anger said, "Yeah, not gonna happen. I'm as tough as nails. I can't be broken." Joy asked playfully, "Are you sure?" Anger nodded confidently, "I'm sure. Besides, getting mad is what I do best, not boo-hooing away like Sadness does."

Disgust agreed, "Yeah, like I'm going to cry like she does. I don't do sappy, Joy." Fear said, "Er, count me out. I'm more used to running and screaming than weeping and wailing." Joy shrugged, "Well, we'll see. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. Who knows?"

Overlooking the three emotions' pride, Joy continued on with the story. When she got to the part where Bing Bong vanished, not a single heart wasn't broken. After Joy finished telling her story, the emotions got ready for when Riley woke up from her nap. While the rest were busy, Sadness came up to Joy and said, "Uh, Joy? It's not that I take their comments personally, but do you think they might cry someday?" Joy answered, "If I did it, then it's bound to happen to them."

Sadness said, "Um…it's not that I would _want_ them to cry. It's just that…" Joy put a hand on her shoulder and said, "...you want them to understand you. It's my fault we pushed you away all these years. Well, I promise you: the moment they shed tears, they'll come to appreciate you more." Sadness beamed, "You really think so?" Joy smiled and nodded, "I _know_ so."


	2. Tears of Fear

_Who's your friend who likes to play? Bing Bong, Bing Bong! His rocket makes you want to yell hooray! Bing Bong, Bing Bong!_

The voice that kept ringing in his head haunted Fear as he lied in his bed. Though it had been a long time since Bing Bong was last seen, the imaginary friend had recently popped up in one of Riley's dreams. Fear was on dream duty after Joy and Sadness were sucked into the recesses of Riley's mind. He never would've imagined seeing Bing Bong again, lest in a dream. After all, Bing Bong hadn't been seen since Riley was four.

When Riley was three, she had invented an elephant/cat/cotton candy hybrid from her imagination and named him Bing Bong. They had many wonderful adventures together, including the ones with his song-powered rocket wagon. He was very special to her. Whenever she was sad, he dried her tears. Whenever she wanted to play, he was always right there. Whenever she was scared, he comforted and protected her. Fear especially remembered the times when Riley was scared and Bing Bong was there beside her.

Fear felt restless, so he decided to drink some tea to calm the voice in his head…and his nerves. Truth be told, Bing Bong's voice was constant enough to freak the emotion out. He carefully crept down the ramp so that he didn't disturb Sadness during dream duty. He slipped under the arch and made his tea. Just as he emerged from the arch, Sadness said without looking, "Hi." Fear yelped as he jumped and fumbled with his mug.

He nervously chuckled, "Oh, h-hi, Sadness. I didn't mean to disturb you during dream duty. You looked so busy and…well…I have my tea, so I'll just sit here and drink this while you continue working." He sat down on the couch and silently sipped from his mug.

Fear watched Riley's dream from where he was sitting. He saw Dream Riley taking a test, only for birds and cupcakes to burst out from the paper. Fear could tell that he had put much pressure on Riley by making her worry about the test. Did he do enough? Should he have done more? What could he have done differently?

Or…did he stress her out too much?

This was one of Fear's biggest problems. He was constantly worried all the time. He had to be; Riley's well-being was at stake. True, Joy had her share of looking out for Riley, but _he_ had to be the one protecting her. If no one else was willing, then far be it from him to get her into danger. It was times like those that he wished Bing Bong was there to help her…and him.

There was no question that everyone (probably except Anger) in Headquarters loved Bing Bong. They remembered him well, whilst Riley couldn't remember him at all. Fear felt sorry that she didn't remember anything about her carefree (albeit tumultuous) toddlerhood. He wished that he could just pull up memories of when Riley was three, but it was most likely that those memories were in the Memory Dump. When Joy told the gang that Bing Bong vanished there, Fear couldn't help but feel that Riley's childhood was entirely gone. The only trace of it that would remain was in her memories.

Fear hesitated for a few moments before asking, "Hey…Sadness? You've met Bing Bong while you and Joy were lost in Riley's mind. What was it like seeing him again?" Sadness turned towards him and walked to the couch. She sat beside him before she said, "Well…when we saw him, he was taking memories from the shelves. Joy chased him down before she recognized him. He told us that he was out of work, so Joy promised to remind Riley of him so he could have fun with her again."

Fear chuckled, "Heh. We sure could've needed him when we first moved to San Francisco. It would've made things a lot easier." Secretly, he wished that Riley was a child again so he wouldn't have to face many unknown things about growing up. Truth be told, he was scared that Riley wouldn't grow up gracefully and would end up having a terrible life. As Joy had said, "A good first day leads to a good week, which leads to a good year, which leads to a good life!" Fear wished he had her optimism.

He then remembered something else: he and the gang were so close to losing Riley. To think that he almost let her get lost in a future of uncertainty, of loneliness…of despair. He was supposed to protect her, but when she was trying to go back to Minnesota, all he could do was just stand there and panic. Was that all he was meant to do? Just act like a coward even though he was her safety?

Painfully, Fear sighed, "Sadness…can I tell you something?" Sadness nodded her head, ready to listen intently. He then slowly confessed, "If I told Joy, she'd never forgive me. I…almost left Headquarters while you and Joy were gone. I wanted to quit and…nearly did. It wasn't the bravest thing I'd ever done, but thankfully, emotions couldn't quit. I was just stuck there with Anger and Disgust while Riley's life was falling…apart."

By then, he felt a lump form in his throat. He definitely wasn't choking on his tea, but he sensed it was something else. Fear continued with sorrow in his voice, "I…I wanted to help her. I did. But what could I do? I couldn't offer her happiness…or comfort, like you do."

Just then, he realized why Bing Bong's voice was haunting him. It was utter guilt - guilt from not being able to see him one last time, guilt from almost driving Riley over the edge, guilt from being so cowardly…

With tears forming in his eyes, he said, "If you…hadn't come to her aid…we…could've lost her…forever…" He was shaking so badly that he had to set his mug down on a seat beside the couch. Stifling a sob, he choked out, "I…was too much…of a coward…to help her!" He buried his face in his hands and began to weep softly. This evoked sympathy in Sadness, for this reminded her of when she comforted Bing Bong. If she helped Riley's imaginary friend, maybe she could help Fear now.

She put her hand on Fear's convulsing shoulder and said, "You just wanted her to be happy again. Joy does, too. We only want what's best for Riley. It may seem like all we do is not good for her, but sometimes, it's the only way she can feel better. Maybe there's a reason she does feel scared, so she can be safe."

Fear sniffled before embracing Sadness to cry on her shoulder. He wept, "I wasn't doing…a very good job when she…ran away. I just…went along with what Anger wanted: to return to…Minnesota to create more happy memories. We only wanted Riley…to have the life she had before. I don't…want her to grow up, Sadness! I want her to be a kid again…when life was so simple. I'm too scared to face…what lies ahead."

He dug his head into the neck of her soft sweater as he sobbed, "I don't know…how I'm going to tell…Joy." Sadness caressed his back as she said, "You don't have to tell her. It'll be our own secret. She probably knows how worried you are for Riley, but she doesn't need to know you tried to make her run away." Moments later, Fear's sobs had quieted down and he sat up on the couch. Though tears were still streaming down his face, he looked at Sadness more calmly than he did just minutes ago.

As he was wiping the tears away, he said, "No. Joy's bound to know sooner or later. I might as well tell her first thing tomorrow." Sadness asked, "Are you sure?" Fear fiddled with his fingers as he answered, "Well, um…Maybe not _first thing_ tomorrow. I'll just do it when the time is right."

He turned to Sadness again and smiled, "Thank you, Sadness. Crying did help me relax from worrying. Joy was right; we _do_ need a break to get back on track. I think I'm going to sleep better tonight." He got up and waved, "See you in the morning, Sadness." A few moments later, though, he dashed back to retrieve his mug. He nervously chuckled, "Whoops! Almost forgot this."

The next morning, Fear couldn't muster the courage to talk to Joy, so he just stared out the window towards the Personality Islands. Joy was rallying most everyone up until Sadness whispered to her, "I think Fear needs to talk to you." When she saw the purple emotion standing before the window, Joy wondered what it could be about. She walked up to Fear and asked, "Hey, Fear." Fear gave a shriek and Joy exclaimed, "Whoa, easy, Fear! What's got you so worked up?"

In that moment, Fear could take it no longer, so he sobbed, "Oh, Joy, it's all my fault!" He grabbed her by the upper arms and continued, "I should've been keeping Riley safe at home, but I let her wander out alone! We wanted to get back to Minnesota so she could relive her happy life, but…" He gasped out the last parts, "…she almost…didn't feel…anything!" He sunk down to the floor as he bawled. Disgust face-palmed and groaned while Anger grumbled, "Oh, great! Now we're going to get in trouble!"

Joy watched Fear in silence for a few moments and then a sympathetic smile spread across her face. She kneeled on the floor next to Fear and said, "Look, Fear, we've all done things we aren't too proud of. Like me, for instance; I kept Sadness away from the control panel for how many years? I didn't realize that I wasn't letting Riley be sad when she needed to be. We all make mistakes because we want what's best for those we care about. Even if running away wasn't the best choice, you, Disgust, and Anger only did it because you wanted Riley to be happy again."

Fear looked at her with tear-filled eyes and sniffled, "Remember when you said that you cried in the Memory Dump?" When Joy nodded, he said, "You were right. Tears _do_ help relieve someone, be it a person or an emotion. And I have Sadness to thank." Sadness turned away, blushing and beaming.

Anger said, "So what are you now: a crybaby?" Fear stood up as he wiped his tears away and said confidently but calmly, "Nope. Just more ready than ever." Joy smiled, "Well, good! Because today, we're going to learn how we did on the test!" Within a second or two, Fear's confidence morphed into alarm.

"Here you are, Riley."

Riley's teacher handed her test back to her. When the girl looked at her score, the emotions were all relieved she got a B+.

"Yes!" (Anger)

"Woo-hoo!" (Disgust)

"Atta girl!" (Joy)

"Thank goodness we passed." (Sadness)

But no emotion was more overjoyed than Fear. He shouted as he ran across Headquarters, "Yes! Oh, yes! We did it! She passed!" He stopped and gasped, "She did it…"

Fear fainted in relief and Anger grumbled, "He did it again!" Disgust said, "Honestly, that guy can be such a drama queen." Joy chuckled, "Oh, Fear."

 ** _Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I cannot thank you enough for your patience. I'm sorry it took me longer than expected. I am so ecstatic about the incredible love this story has received. As of now, this is my most popular story to date!_**

 ** _Now, I need to ask you something. What would make Disgust cry? I know she's shallow, but she's not easily breakable. Any suggestions would be appreciated._**

 ** _Again, thank you for your awesome support for "Crying's Not Just for Sadness"!_**


	3. Tears of Disgust

"Okay, Disgust, what are we going to wear today?" Joy asked.

"Well, since it's sunny and warm today, she's going to need a yellow blouse, blue denim capris, and a stylish flower belt to go with it," Disgust said.

When Riley looked at herself in the mirror, she admired herself. "Yeah," she smiled. "This will do it."

The emotion also liked Riley's outfit and praised Disgust for fashion choices. The green emotion beamed with pride; she knew how to make a fashion statement. She was very glad that Riley now had Fashion Island as part of her personality. This enabled Disgust to freely choose whatever clothes and/or jewelry she wished. She wanted Riley to be the cool girl now, and with Fashion Island, she would.

It was lunch hour at the school and Riley stepped outside to find her new friends. After searching for about a minute, she heard the girls shouting, "Riley! Over here! Come on!" She was about to walk over until someone bumped into her.

"Hey! Who did that?!" Anger growled. "Wait till I give them a piece of my…"

Riley looked up to see the sun radiating a cute boy's face.

Anger trailed off, "…mind…?"

The emotions, as well as Riley, were speechless at the sight. Disgust was the first to react and pushed a button on the control console. An alarm blared, "HOTTIE ALERT! HOTTIE ALERT! HOTTIE ALERT!"

Fear ran around and shrieked, "Gaah! Whatdowedo?! Whatdowedo?!"

Joy reassured him, "Relax. I've got this one."

Disgust sneered at Joy. Did Joy even know what she was doing?

The boy asked as he took her hand, "Are you all right? I didn't mean to bump into you like that."

Riley said while blushing, "Oh, it's okay. It was an accident. I'm Riley."

Disgust winced at that. This was _definitely_ not how to react to someone as hot as he was.

The boy smiled as he shook Riley's hand, "Gabe. You, uh, play any sports?"

Riley nodded, "I'm on the junior hockey league. We have a game on Friday."

Disgust frantically waved her hands and whispered, "T.M.I! T.M.I!"

Gabe said, "Oh, cool. I guess I'll see you there, then."

Riley said, "Okay. Bye."

As Riley resumed walking towards her friends, Joy sighed, "Phew! I think we did pretty good."

Disgust scoffed, "Yeah, if you can even call it that. Look at this!" She pressed a button and a yellow orb replayed the event from moments ago. She criticized, "Her face was red! That is not acting cool!"

Joy challenged playfully, "Well, if you think you can handle this, be my guest."

Disgust grinned wickedly, "Oh, I will, Joy. Don't you worry."

When Friday came, everyone inside and outside of Riley's mind was preparing for the big game. Her parents got on their face paint and their usual hockey clothes. Riley's emotions were also preparing by getting Riley to focus, but Disgust had an awful plan. She got out her camera and she whistled to get the other emotions' attention.

When they all looked at her, she said, "All right, everybody! Let's have a photo-op before the game."

Four of the emotions gathered near the console while Disgust gestured, "That's it. All in one group. Perfect!"

Her backside was to the shelves of memory orbs, so she had no difficulty stepping on the button on the floor. The recall tube appeared and it began sucking the four emotions upwards.

"Gaah! What's happening?!" (Fear)

"I knew something was fishy!" (Anger)

"Oh, no! Not again!" (Sadness)

"DISGUUUUSST!" (Joy)

Before Disgust knew it, all four emotions had been sent to Long-Term Memory. She fist-pumped as she smiled, "Yes! Now to do things my way, the _cool_ way."

The four emotions landed in the bin of memory orbs after they slid down the tube.

Fear shrieked, "Wherearewe?! Wherearewe?!"

Joy looked around and said, "We're here again? I don't believe this!"

Anger growled, "You better believe it! Disgust double-crossed us!"

Sadness whimpered, "But why? Why would she do that?"

Anger shot off, "Because she thinks that she's cool and we're not!"

Joy assured them, "All right, calm down, everyone. I'm sure Disgust only wanted what she thought was best for Riley."

Anger glared at her, "By sending us all the way here? That's _not_ what's best for Riley. That's selfishness."

Sadness said in a soft voice, "Maybe she just wanted Riley to make a good impression."

Fear gasped, "But Riley can't win the game if we're not there!"

Joy said, "Don't worry. Sadness and I have been through this before. We'll just get on the Train of Thought and get back to Headquarters lickety-split."

Anger asked, "And how do you propose we find the train?"

Joy answered, "There's a stop near Imagination Land, but we'll have to navigate through Long-Term Memory first." She pushed Sadness forward and continued, "She's read the manuals, so she'll lead the way so none of us will get lost."

Sadness felt pride that Joy trusted her, but she was afraid to let the others down. She stuttered, "Um…okay. I guess we'll start over there."

Joy cheered, "Thattagirl! Come on! Let's follow Sadness!"

Meanwhile, Disgust had taken complete control of Headquarters. As the only emotion Riley could feel at the moment, Disgust put on her best and coolest face. Riley strode with pride towards the rink before glancing back at Gabe. She shot a flirtatious look before stepping onto the ice. This, however, alarmed her parents.

Mom's disgust asked, "What do you think that was for?"

Mom's fear gasped, "Is there a cute guy somewhere?"

Dad's anger said, "Uh-oh. That face is almost never good."

Dad's fear asked, "What do you think we should do?"

Both parents thought, _Let's just calm down. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about._

But there was a lot to worry about. Disgust quickly found that she couldn't handle the rink without the other emotions. In panic, she did whatever she could to salvage Riley's skills on ice. This was, however, to no avail. By the time the game was over, Disgust – and Riley – was torn apart. She felt like her pride had come crashing down along with any hope of victory. It got worse when Riley saw Gabe with another girl. This was more than she could take, so she hurried home and didn't utter a word.

After Riley went straight up to her room and lied on her bed, Disgust saw that the control console was turning black again. She gasped, "Oh, no! Not again! Oh, please not again!" She did everything she could to reverse the growing blackness, but to no avail.

Disgust raced to the window and called out worriedly, "Joy?! Sadness?! Guys?! I'm sorry I sent you all away! Please come back! Please…"

By then, she leaned against the window and sunk to the floor. She did tell Joy that she wasn't going to cry, but where were Joy – and the others – now? It was Disgust's fault that they were gone. Her stupid pride had blinded her into sending them all to Long-Term Memory. Joy and Sadness were lucky to have made it back at all the first time, but there was no guarantee that they – and the guys – were going to return a second time. Maybe Disgust did it this time. Maybe she sent them to their doom…and Riley to hers.

There was nothing else to do now but let out the tears she had long held back.

Thankfully, the four emotions caught the Train of Thought just in time. Fear wasn't enjoying the ride, however.

"I want to go back, I want to go back, I want to go back!"

"Shut up and get off of me!" Anger roared.

Joy loved feeling the breeze run through her blue hair. She also absolutely loved the view of Riley's new islands. They seemed to fit the girl so much now that she lived in San Francisco.

Joy was so caught up in her reverie that she almost didn't hear Sadness cry, "Joy, look!"

Joy looked in the direction Sadness was pointing and saw Headquarters...and something at the window.

Was that Disgust…crying?

Both Joy and Sadness knew immediately that something was wrong. As soon as the train pulled up to the delivery compartment, every emotion on the train slid into the bin.

Disgust turned towards them and gasped in amazement, "Guys! You're back!"

As Disgust ran to the emotions, they could plainly see the tear streaks and the runny mascara on her face.

Fear asked cautiously, "Uh, Disgust? Have you been…crying?"

Before Disgust could answer, Sadness pointed to the blackening console and cried, "The console!"

The green emotion covered her face with her hands and sighed sadly, "I'll tell you everything…"

Sadness was able the fix the console with the help of the information Disgust gave of the events. Riley let out all of her tears when she told her parents what happened at the hockey game.

Disgust said, "I'm really sorry I sent you to Long-Term Memory. I thought I could make Riley the cool girl for once, but I ended up ruining everything."

Joy said, "It's okay, Disgust. We all make mistakes sometimes."

"Like when Riley almost ran away?"

Anger growled, "Can we please forget about that?"

Disgust retorted, "No, we can't. That was a big mistake we made. If I recall correctly, didn't you come up with the idea in the first place?"

Before a fight could start, Joy calmed them, "Okay, okay. Let's not focus on the past. We're moving forward now. Riley's adjusted to her new life and we'll be there every step of the way."

Disgust nodded, "You're right, Joy." She then groaned, "I can't believe I was stupid enough to let my pride get the best of me. I promise, I won't do anything like that ever again."

Joy put her hand on Disgust's shoulder and said, "Thattagirl."

 ** _AN: I think you can shed tears of disgust when you're disgusted with yourself. That might be called "shame", but I think shame is a form of disgust._**

 ** _How did I do with this chapter? I would appreciate your input. I also apologize to the readers whose suggestions for this chapter I did not use._**

 ** _Sorry it took me so long to write this. Disgust is a hard character to make cry, but I bet Anger will be even harder. Before I release the next chapter, I have to ask you something. Do you think Anger's a little like Wreck-It Ralph? I mean, both are blocky in body shape. But other than that, what do you think?_**


End file.
